Issuu

Wednesday 10th December 2025

Community and Activity Days to Finish the Year

Our Year 7-10 students spent last Wednesday doing tasks to foster relationships in our community. There was a free car wash, baking for the community pantry, visit to TELC and Milton Kindergarten, cleaning at the squash courts and distributing meals in Milton for The Bowling Club in Dunedin.

On Friday, plenty of fun was had on our Activity Day. Students went fishing, did an art bumper day, went to a movie, made Christmas goodies in the Food Tech room and much more!

To see what our students got up to on the Community Day, check out Toko TV by clicking on this link https://tinyurl.com/35nk3ba8

School Magazine 2025

This year’s Tokomairiro High School Magazine is at the printers!!

Chock full of over 80 pages of the events, activities and achievements that shaped our school in 2025.

Copies are $15. Order via Kindo or call in to the school office.

Magazines will be available for collection from Monday 8th December.

Crutching

For all your Dagging & Crutching requirements

Uniform Donations

The Tokomairiro High School PTA welcome donations of any uniform items that are no longer needed. Any items in a clean and tidy condition can be dropped to the main office before Friday 19th December. Thank you!

Dates to Remember

Tuesday 20th & Thursday 22nd January

Course Confirmation Years 9 - 13

Friday 23rd & Monday 26th January Teacher Only Days

Tuesday 27th January First Day for Year 7 &13 students

Wednesday 28th January - First Day for Whole School

Jetter available 12 weeks protection

Tena koutou katoa

Tokomairiro High School Newsletter...

SCHOOL MISSION: Inspiring Excellence in Education, in Character and in Life.

As we come to the end of a very busy and productive school year, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the collective efforts of our students, staff, and whānau. It has been a year of growth, resilience, and many moments of pride. Thank you for the ongoing support you show our kura and the important role you play in our school community.

Haere Ra

This week we say haere rā to five of our teaching staff: Susan Mickey, Elijah Smiler, Glenn Todd, Kylie Johnston, and Matt Brown, as well as one of our valued teacher aides, Islay Swan. Each of them has contributed in meaningful ways to our kura, supporting our students and enriching our school community.

We thank them sincerely for their dedication and service to Tokomairiro High School. They leave with our aroha and very best wishes for the next steps in their journeys.

Reports

End-of-year reports were sent out last Friday. These provide an overview of each student’s progress across the year along with key recommendations for 2026. We encourage whānau to read through the report carefully and discuss it with their young person.

If you did not receive a report, please contact the school office after first checking your spam folder.

Prizegiving

Last night we held our 2025 Prizegiving, a truly special celebration of achievement, determination and personal excellence. It was inspiring to acknowledge the many students who have worked hard across academic, cultural, sporting, leadership and service areas and to see the pride that filled the hall.

The evening also showcased the talents of our students with several performances adding richness and warmth to the occasion. It was wonderful to see our Kapa Haka rōpū together in their new kākahu kapa haka, sharing their waiata and haka with our school community. They have gone from strength to strength this year and their presence added a real sense of pride to the night.

We were fortunate to be joined by our guest speaker Stacey Adam whose address struck a perfect balance of humour and inspiration. Her reflections on resilience, learning from challenges, staying true to oneself and finding strength in adversity resonated strongly with everyone present.

In my Principal’s Report I reflected on the positive progress our school is making but also emphasised that the true strength of any school lies in its people. That strength was clearly visible throughout the evening: in our students, in the dedication of our staff and in the unwavering support of our whānau and wider community.

My sincere thanks to all who attended and to the staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring the evening together. Congratulations again to all of our award recipients; your achievements are very well deserved.

Turf Update

At Prizegiving last night we launched our Grassroots Initiative, offering individuals and organisations the opportunity to purchase a square metre of turf for $150. All contributors will have their names displayed on an appreciation board that will stand beside the completed turf.

112 Union Street, Milton Ph 417 8223

your Christmas meat!

Wishing all our valued customers a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season!

From the team at Milton Butchery

The first of the new turf, the large turf, is already in production and is scheduled to be laid at the end of March or beginning of April. This marks an exciting step forward for our kura.

We are grateful for the support already shown by local businesses, who have taken up bronze, silver, and gold sponsorship opportunities. Their contributions are helping us move closer to realising a high-quality and much-needed space for sport, PE and the wider Milton community. We still need to raise a significant amount of money, and every contribution helps us bring this important project to life. We will continue to update our community as progress is made.

ERO Update

The Education Review Office (ERO) visited Tokomairiro High School in Week 3 of this term, and their report has now been finalised (publication pending). The findings were extremely positive. ERO noted that:

• Students benefit from settled, well-managed classrooms where learning is purposeful.

• Teachers build positive, respectful relationships and use their knowledge of students to support engagement.

• Leaders foster relational trust and strong collaboration across the school community.

• The school provides an inclusive environment where students feel known and cared for.

• The Board actively supports priorities for improving student wellbeing and learning.

ERO also confirmed that our next review will be in four years, reflecting their confidence in the direction and progress of the school.

We look forward to sharing the full report with our community once it is officially released.

Ngā mihi nui Vicki Wish, Principal | Tumuaki

Have You Signed Up for Kindo?

Kindo makes it easy for you to: make full or part payments, register for school sports and support fundraisers. New to Kindo?

Kindo is easy to set up and use. Just visit our website or use the QR code to join. Use the ‘create account’ option to set up an account.

Have Questions?

Call in to the school office, or visit support.mykindo.co.nz and search key words, email hello@mykindo.co.nz or phone (09) 869 5200 or 0508 454 636 for assistance - Available 8am-4pm on school days.

BYOD for 2026

This year we introduced Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) across the school, and we will continue with this in 2026. Students are expected to bring a suitable device for learning each day. Please note that tablets are not suitable for classroom use at this level; a laptop or Chromebook is recommended.

Noel Leeming has a list of recommended models available, and with Christmas and New Year sales underway, this may be a good opportunity to purchase a device at a reduced price.

Bible Reading for the Week

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” - John 1:9

Toko Stars for November

Ned Scott - Homeroom legend

Cash Scott - English

Cooper Bradley - English

Parekura Parata - Social Sciences

Lilly Browne - Art

Tristan Pretorius - Digital Technology

Thulya Kandegoda Gamage - Values Champ

Hunter Wardell - Hard Materials

Eli Wicks - Kapa Haka

Niko Coleman - Kapa Haka

Ayson Wardell - Music

LyriQ Pedofski - Te Reo

Nathan Senada - PE

Genesis Holiday Hours

Last Genesis for the year/ Office closes 17th December Office re-opens Monday 19th January (deadline 12 noon)

First publication for 2025 is 21st January.

Year 7 and 8 students will still have access to a chromebook during the school day but it is recommended that all older students bring their own device to school. Details of appropriate devices are available on the school website and students will need to complete a BYOD agreement which is available on the website or at the office.

Articles and Reports

Genesis relies on articles and reports supplied by the community to fill our pages. Please email these to genesis@tokohigh.school.nz

News from the Trenches...

This week the column starts on a sombre note to acknowledge the sad passing of Tony Mac. Tony always had a smile on his face and enjoyed a laugh, and was a popular member. Condolences to Malcolm, Robyn and family on this sad occasion.

This coming Sunday from 12 noon until 2pm we will be selling Christmas Trees for $15 so get in quick.

Unfortunately we haven't got any angels to put on top. Also this coming Thursday during the raffles we will be having our draw for the Darts Extravaganza first round. We have 16 entrants who have been vigorously practicing. This competition will commence on Saturday 10th January. I've heard that a number of costumes are in the process of being constructed, and there are some sizzling outfits.

This coming Thursday night is also our penultimate night for raffles with the Joker Draw almost reached the maximum level.

Last Friday we had our Handle Club Xmas night which was amazing success with plenty of laughter and hilarious moments.

Our Xmas Hams have almost sold out with not many tickets left. So get in quick.

Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.

- Private Spike Pike

Sumpter Moore —Barristers & Solicitors

5 Eden Street, (PO Box 16) Milton

For all your legal requirements, contact our friendly team at (03) 417-8004 or email milton@sumptermoore.co.nz

Quote of the Week: ‘I have a new philosophy. I’m only going to dread one day at a time’ -Charles M Schulz

Tokomairiro Co-Operating Parish

Sunday14thDecember-Advent3

10amWorshipService -MiltonChurchHall Allwelcome!

St John`s Anglican Church Service of Readings and Carols With Holy Communion for Christmas

Sunday 21st December at 7pm. No services in January. Next service 1st February at 9am, (visit of Bishop Anne)

Sunday Service 10am 110 Union Street All Welcome! For more information, follow us on Facebook

Youth United meets fortnightly on Saturdays in term time for ages 10-18. Check out our Facebook page for events &

Toko Golf

Twilight Golf 9 Holes

Wednesday Evenings 5:15 - 5:45pm tee off time $2 All Welcome!

Toko Golf Club, Back Rd.

Tokomairiro High School HORT SHOP OPEN

WEDNESDAYS1pm-4pm. Variety of Plants & Shrubs Ready for Planting Now!

To Rent

3 bedroom, fully furnished house

Available December for Long Term rent

Phone

To Rent

Thank You

To the wonderful town of Milton and awesome community of South Otago, thank you.

We have loved being a part of this place and we leave with amazing memories of the friends made, adventures had and our wee slice of paradise just out of town.

The Lord bless you all with the hope, the peace, the joy and the love of this Christmas season.

- PaulandRaewynDevlin

Show off your Pets!

Hi everyone don't forget to enter your pets for the Toko A&P Show!

We have a wee obstacle course for the pet lambs and calves and a drinking competition for the lambs. You can bring along any kind of pet for the Any Pet and the fancy dress competition. You can enter on the day and the entries are FREE.

We are situated down by the cattle judging ring.

Hope to see you there!

Health Services Health Services

Milton Medical Centre

We’re here for our Community

Accepting new patients now!

At Milton Medical Centre, we are proud to care for our local community with a friendly, professional team including a Telehealth GP, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses and support staff.

We offer a full range of general practice services, including chronic condition management, women’s and men’s health, sexual health, child & youth health, minor procedures, immunisations, and ACC/ injury care.

Visit our website for information about enrolling, a full list of services, after-hours service and our team: www.miltonmedical.co.nz